Editor's Note Care can be highly variable across outpatient settings for patients receiving follow-up care for traumatic brain injury (TBI), such as for skull fracture repair and shunt placement. Inadequate follow-up care after initial injury is a key factor in the potential for poor TBI outcomes. A new clinical practice…

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Editor's Note New research led by an orthopedic spine surgeon shows that 360° spine fusions, which are the most complex spinal fusions representing significant cost in inpatient settings, can be performed safely and effectively in an outpatient setting when the center has the right infrastructure and team in place, according…

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Editor's Note Several ASC leaders recently shared the financial threats they are most concerned about in 2026, including staffing costs and the changing payer landscape, in a December 5 news story in Becker's ASC Review. For example, staffing costs are a top concern for an ASC administrator at a surgery…

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Editor's Note Seasonal influenza activity is increasing, with the largest increases reported among children and young adults and in the northeastern and mountain west areas of the country. Nationally, the percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza, and the percentage of outpatient visits for respiratory illness and emergency department…

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Editor's Note Since equipping ORs with video cameras for computer-vision capability at AdventHealth Celebration in Florida, AI-driven data have provided a key resource for improving OR efficiency in several ways, according to an OR leader from the facility highlighted in a December 3 blog post from AORN Periop Life. One…

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Editor's Note To overcome communication challenges in the OR such as excessive noise, congestion, and universal masking that impair verbal and nonverbal communication, one expert recommended real-time captioning technology be used, according to an advanced publication article published in the February 2026 issue of The American Journal of Surgery. In…

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Editor's Note Ketamine tested for pain relief in a large, placebo-controlled, randomized trial posed side effects and did not support patient recovery after major surgery, according to findings published in the British Journal of Anesthesia and discussed in a December 3 news story from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Ketamine has…

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Editor's Note Cataract surgery remains among the most frequent surgeries at a rate of 26 million procedures each year globally, and surgical robotics could soon be used to support these procedures. Recently a robotic surgical system for cataract surgeries developed by UCLA engineers and physicians was used to complete the…

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Editor's Note A prospective, multi-center randomized trial comparing opioid use and patient reported outcomes following isolated partial meniscectomy with needle versus standard arthroscopy resulted in less postoperative pain and opioid use, according to a February 2026 article published ahead of print in the Journal of Orthopedics. The trial was designed…

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Editor's Note While artificial intelligence (AI) has moved rapidly into clinical application, decisions around setting rules and requirements for responsible AI use are evolving more slowly. This could pose challenges for hospitals where resources are already limited, especially for smaller hospitals. Without a unified system for evaluating AI products, hospitals…

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